Culture

Using Serial Opera to Tell Similar Stories, Centuries Apart

October 7th, 2020

by John Showalter

john.d.showalter@gmail.com

The lives of countless people and the fortunes of numerous industries have been turned upside-down over the course of 2020 due to the full-blown global pandemic that is COVID-19. One of the areas that have been drastically affected is the performing arts. Concerts and live performances dragged almost to a standstill, being postponed or outright cancelled in droves. These are daunting circumstances for live performers and promoters. However,…

Read more...


The Winners in Rural Broadband - the Customers

March 18th, 2020

photo courtesy of Debra Ruh

by Sonja Thompson

Debra Ruh is the CEO and Founder of Ruh Global IMPACT, a consulting firm that strives to help clients amplify their impact and become disability inclusion leaders. She also serves as the Chair of the United Nations' G3ict EmployAbility Task Force, which supports information and communication assistive technologies in over 100 countries. Her advocacy for people with disabilities has changed the way technology companies interface with their customers; and she has…

Read more...


Pie and Derby: Skating for a Cause

March 11th, 2020

photo by Raul Gomez

High Plains Reader spoke with Beth Ambrosio, "Maulflower," board member and skater with the FM Derby Girls about the first bout of their 11th season, and the charity events taking place for Pi Day.

HIGH PLAINS READER: What is your role with the FM Derby Girls? How long have you been a member?
BETH AMBROSIO: I am a skater, and I'm also on the Board of Directors - all of us take part in running our league and making it a success. I have been skating since the first season of FMDG, although…

Read more...


A Boy a Band & a Book

March 4th, 2020

cover design by Raul Gomez

Max Patzner, guitarist, artist and lead vocalist of the Minot-based indie folk band Wild Hands is at it again but this time he has a few new tricks up his sleeve. He’s the brains and talent behind The Little Why Not? Publishing house. Along with art and music he’s created a homegrown publishing house with the intent to not only produce children’s books but to inspire, educate and light the creative fire within both the young and young at heart.

HPR had the opportunity to chat with…

Read more...


Don’t get angry about Internet Trolls

March 4th, 2020

It is totally useless to have your blood pressure increased because of an Internet troll. Not only that, but your doctor will have to increase your dose of blood pressure medicine, costing you more money.

Internet trolls are people who want to provoke and upset others online for their own amusement. Here’s how to spot the signs that someone is a troll, and how to handle them.

If you’ve been on the internet for any period of time, you’ve likely run into a troll at some point. An…

Read more...


Field trips: Setting the hook for lifelong engagement

March 4th, 2020

by Chris Dorfschmidt

I have always been a storyteller. My notebooks from school contained bits of stories or skits, things I found amusing, or ideas that would not leave my head until I had them down on paper. I still carry a notebook for that reason. My love of storytelling was a part of what made me an engaging teacher. Like a good story, I had to hook my audience. Right now, my focus is on field trips and how we can create a memorable experience. Students are not going to remember all…

Read more...


Transgender Support : Summit and Gala

February 26th, 2020

photo by Taylor Snyder Art Photography

by Kris Gruber
perriex1@gmail.com

The Tristate Transgender Support Summit is a conference and marketplace with speakers, workshops, and vendors. The Trans Support Gala takes place on Saturday, February 28, at the Radisson Hotel in Fargo. High Plains Reader spoke to the Vice President of Tri-State, Rebel Marie, about the Summit and Gala.

HIGH PLAINS READER: Can you give a little background on what Tri-State Transgender does for the community, and your role with it?
REBEL MARIE
: I am the vice…

Read more...


Get Rhythm: King of the sale ring

February 26th, 2020

photo courtesy of ND Winter Show

The North Dakota Winter Show in Valley City will celebrate its 83rd year in 2020. Attendees can anticipate a variety of agricultural and heritage programming from rodeos to dances to keynote speakers and vendors but this year organizers of the event have a couple of new tricks up their sleeves. One in particular is the first annual “King of the Sale Ring” auctioneer contest to be held on Sunday, March 1.

There are two rounds to the contest. The first round of participants auction…

Read more...


What about Public WiFi?

February 26th, 2020

This is a complicated topic. It’s true that browsing on public Wi-Fi is much safer and more private than it used to be thanks to the widespread embrace of HTTPS on the web. Other people on the public Wi-Fi network can’t just snoop on everything you’re doing. Man-in-the-middle attacks aren’t as trivially easy as they used to be. The EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) recently came down on the side of public Wi-Fi being safe, writing that “There are plenty of things in life to…

Read more...


Skip the clichés and reclaim Valentine’s Day

February 12th, 2020

cover design by Raul Gomez

Valentine’s Day can inspire annoying questions if you’re single and the spending of a whole lot of time or money if you’re not. So shake up the old routine with fun, unusual and affordable (or even free) activities.

Feel free to disregard traditions that don’t work for you and make new ones that matter. Override date night (even if you’re part of a couple) and meet a group of friends for cocoa, a concert or a barn dance. Trade your usual dinner for two for a salsa lesson, a…

Read more...


Tracker Pixel for Entry Farrms Tracker Pixel for Entry Marigold Tracker Pixel for Entry Aquarium Tracker Pixel for Entry Tracker Pixel for Entry BismarckGalleries1 Tracker Pixel for Entry Bismarck1

Recently in:

By Maddie Robinsonmaddierobi.mr@gmail.com This article discusses topics related to mental health and suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or visit 988lifeline.org. …

The life of a jockey straight from the horse's mouthBy Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comFor George Pineda, jockeying is a family tradition. But that legacy includes loss. “My uncles, Alvaro and Robert Pineda — one got killed in a…

Thursday, August 8, gates 5 p.m., show starts at 7 p.m.Bluestem Amphitheater, 801 50th Avenue S., MoorheadFormed by guitarist/vocalist Brian Setzer, upright bass player Lee Rocker and drummer Slim Jim Phantom, The Stray Cats…

Recovering from PennsylvaniaBy John Strandjas@hpr1.com Holy shit, America! Is this a path we want to stay on? Is this the tipping point or brink we’re at? Is it a sign of more to come, or a come to Jesus moment where we decide…

By Ed Raymondfargogadfly@gmail.comHow can anyone be lonely with eight billion homo sapiens on Earth?The world seems to be in the throes of a PTSD pandemic. Even the price of happiness is going way up. Back in 2010 two Nobel Prize…

By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com Holiday wine shopping shouldn’t have to be complicated. But unfortunately it can cause unneeded anxiety due to an overabundance of choices. Don’t fret my friends, we once again have you covered…

By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com In this land of hotdish and ham, the knoephla soup of German-Russian heritage seems to reign supreme. In my opinion though, the French have the superior soup. With a cheesy top layer, toasted baguette…

HPR chats with Slug of the hip-hop duo AtmosphereBy Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comWhen Sean Daley, also known as Slug, the voice of Twin Cities-based hip hop duo Atmosphere and co-founder of rap label Rhymesayers was growing up,…

By Greg Carlsongregcarlson1@gmail.com Writer-director Nicole Riegel’s sophomore feature “Dandelion” is now playing in theaters following a world premiere at South by Southwest in March. The movie stars KiKi Layne as the…

New Minnesota sculptures include artist’s largest trollBy Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com According to Danish artist and environmental activist Thomas Dambo, “All trash is treasure.” So far, he and his team have built 138…

By John Showalterjohn.d.showalter@gmail.comHigh Plains Reader had the opportunity to interview two mysterious new game show hosts named Milt and Bradley Barker about an upcoming event they will be putting on at Brewhalla. What…

By Annie Prafckeannieprafcke@gmail.com AUSTIN, Texas – As a Chinese-American, connecting to my culture through food is essential, and no dish brings me back to my mother’s kitchen quite like hotdish. Yes, you heard me right –…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comNew Jamestown Brewery Serves up Local FlavorThere’s something delicious brewing out here on the prairie and it just so happens to be the newest brewery west of the Red River and east of the…

By John Showalter  john.d.showalter@gmail.comThey sell fentanyl test strips and kits to harm-reduction organizations and…

JANUARY 19, 1967– MARCH 8, 2023 Brittney Leigh Goodman, 56, of Fargo, N.D., passed away unexpectedly at her home on March 8, 2023. Brittney was born January 19, 1967, to Ruth Wilson Pollock and Donald Ray Goodman, in Hardinsburg,…

By Madeline Lukemzlnd@yahoo.com About 100 years ago the state of agriculture in North Dakota was pretty dire. Minnesota banks, grain mills, and railroads treated ND as a colony; they extracted our labor and natural resources for…